The 2024 Pearcey Awards noticed trade pioneers recognised and the seventy fifth anniversary of the primary Australian pc celebrated at a gala dinner in Brisbane on Tuesday night time.
Professor Svetha Venkatesh obtained the 2024 Pearcey Medal for her work in sample recognition, machine studying and synthetic intelligence, and was inducted into the Pearcey Corridor of Fame.
Canberra defence pioneers Ian Croser AM and David Gaul of CEA Applied sciences had been awarded the Nationwide Entrepreneur Awards, whereas trade veterans Professor Andrew Dzurak and ACS Fellow Jan Kornweibel had been additionally inducted into the Corridor of Fame on the Pearcey Nationwide Awards and the Queensland ICT Entrepreneur Awards.
“Professor Svetha Venkatesh isn’t just one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence experts,” mentioned Pearcey Basis chair, Wayne Fitzsimmons OAM.
Fitzsimmons mentioned Venkatesh’s lifetime of labor in AI has had a profound affect in a number of fields, together with public security and safety, psychological well being, autism and healthcare.
He added that her position as an educator and mentor had contributed in direction of generational expertise and innovation in AI in Australia and internationally.
“The Pearcey Medal and Pearcey Hall of Fame are the pinnacle of recognition in Australia’s ICT industry, with our medallists and inductees chosen each year by their peers in a nationwide vote,” continued Fitzsimmons.
“Every of this yr’s recipients have been each pioneers and leaders of their fields, and it’s notably particular this yr that we’re recognising the unbelievable achievements of each Svetha and Jan within the work they’ve carried out to enhance the lives and alternatives for individuals with disabilities.
“It’s an honour to elevate Svetha, Jan and Andrew to a permanent place in our Hall of Fame.”
The occasion additionally coincided with the seventy fifth anniversary of the primary code run on CSIRAC, the primary Australian digital pc and featured audio system together with Peter Thorne, who labored on the system within the Fifties, and ACS President Helen McHugh whose father labored with Trevor Pearcey on the system.
“CSIRAC was the quantum computer investment of its day. Australia is not new to taking strategic bets. Not all of them come off – but CSIRAC did,” Fitzsimmons mentioned.
“It at all times takes time to know the result of the investments we make in expertise and innovation, however the level is that we are able to’t sit on our palms and anticipate issues to occur.
Former politician Kate Lundy, ACS President Helen McHugh, ACS Fellow Jan Kornweibel, and Robotics Australia chair Sue Keay on the 2024 Pearcey Awards gala dinner. Picture: Provided
The 2024 Pearcey Medallist: Professor Svetha Venkatesh
Professor Svetha Venkatesh is a number one Australian pc scientist and entrepreneur who has made elementary and influential contributions to the sphere of sample recognition in multimedia knowledge.
She pioneered many theoretical and algorithmic foundations for detecting regular and anomalous actions and deriving which means from digital video.
Initially from India and finishing undergraduate research there, Svetha moved to Australia to undertake her PhD in Laptop Science and work on the College of Western Australia.
She is presently a distinguished professor and co-director of the Utilized Synthetic Intelligence Institute at Deakin College.
As a founding father of icetana AI, Svetha has demonstrated her entrepreneurial abilities with this ASX-listed software program firm that gives video analytics options.
Pearcey Corridor of Fame Inductee – Jan Kornweibel
Jan Kornweibel began working with computer systems in London in 1965 earlier than touchdown an IBM programming place at TAB in Perth.
Whereas at TAB, she joined the West Australian Laptop Society and was an inaugural member of the Australian Laptop Society when the 2 organisations merged in 1967.
Instrumental in coordinating the primary ACS Nationwide convention in Western Australia in 1989, Jan gave 16 years of service to the WA Department Government Committee and has continued to mentor girls in ICT all through greater than 50 years of membership of ACS.
Jan is a real position mannequin for younger ICT professionals, an advocate and employee for individuals with incapacity and an inspiration to girls in ICT. She is each a Fellow and an Honorary Life Member of the ACS.
Pearcey Corridor of Fame Inductee – Professor Andrew Dzurak
Professor Andrew Dzurak is a recognised international chief within the subject of quantum computing and, alongside along with his fellow UNSW educational, Professor Michelle Simmons AO (the 2023 Pearcey Orator), he has been on the forefront of creating Australia as a world chief in quantum computing.
He’s CEO and founding father of Diraq, a full-stack quantum computing firm utilizing silicon ‘quantum dot’ expertise developed by his workforce at UNSW over the previous twenty years.
Previous to launching Diraq, Andrew was the foundational director (2007-2022) of ANFF-NSW, the NSW node of the Australian Nationwide Fabrication Facility, the place he spoke on quantum computing on the Pearcey Centenary Celebration at College of Sydney in March 2019.
Andrew was additionally a key participant over 20 years in the past within the institution of the Australian Analysis Council (ARC) Centre for Quantum Laptop Expertise.
Business stalwarts win Nationwide Entrepreneur Award
Ian Croser AM and David Gaul, founders of CEA Applied sciences, had been awarded the 2024 Pearcey Nationwide Entrepreneur Awards.
The duo, each former naval officers, established CEA Applied sciences in 1983.
Their imaginative and prescient was to create an Australian centre of excellence for the design and assist of electronics expertise to satisfy the Royal Australian Navy’s particular wants.
On the time, these necessities had been primarily introduced in from the US, which didn’t adequately fulfil Navy’s wants.
In turning their imaginative and prescient into actuality, Ian and David embraced a motto of ‘Options with Dedication’ by designing, manufacturing and offering in-country assist utilizing Australian engineers and producers.
State Pearcey Award winners
Together with the Queensland Award introduced on Tuesday, the Pearcey Basis ran a collection of awards throughout the nation in the course of the yr.
The winners are listed beneath. (There have been no winners from South Australia or Tasmania this yr.)
Queensland – Andrew Bate, co-founder and CEO of SwarmFarm Robotics
ACT – Ian Croser AM and David Gaul, founders of CEA Applied sciences
NSW– quantum expertise pioneer Prof Michael J Biercuk PhD of Q-Management
Victoria – Chris Piastri, co-founder and CTO of HP Tuners
WA – Peter van der Made, founder and CTO of Brainchip Inc.
This story first appeared on Data Age. You’ll be able to learn the authentic right here.
